The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or—as many communities have done —charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.

    City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they've been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.

    Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100—thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.

    In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that's really all that these laws are doing.

    When success comes quickly, as a result of hard work meeting opportunity, one tends to forget that it may not always continue on trend.

    Like me, most people do not “hit it big”. We tend to take a more circuitous(迂回的) route toward success. Believe that great success is not always be given the lucky but those who go after it long and diligently.

    Recently I have conversations with many people that are in the “success” stage, not happy where they currently are or feeling “unsuccessful”. Society has made us confirm that we need to be wealthy in order to be successful. I tell them not to get on the “way off track”. Success doesn't have to be financial, it could be relationships, it could be fulfilling your passions, and it could be your health level. I know many successful people that are not wealthy but are rich in their career or spirit. The worst thing people can do is chase the “money” by any kind of means. Success is made by serving others, and in turn, you will get the rewards of financial success.

    It's not easy travelling down the roads of patience, risk and uncertainty. You must stay flexible because the road to success is always under construction. You must concentrate because someone or something will throw a roadblock in the middle of the road. So, get ready for difficulty and delays. Stop worrying about failure.

    The road to success is not a straight line, it's over mountains and down in the valleys. With persistence and belief, you will most certainly get there. Trust you will have powerful and new breakthroughs as long as you get rid of the hurdle of self-doubt and never give up. And, even if all else fail, remind yourself that: I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.

    TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Since then it has stepped into more and more fields. It includes two annual ( 年度的) conferences-the TED Conference on the North American West Coast each spring, and the TED Global Conference in Edinburgh UK each summer, which bring together the world's most excellent thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives ( in 18 minutes or less).

    On ted.com, we make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. More than 1, 200 TED talks are now available,' with more added each week, which cover almost all topics from science to business to global issues- in more than 110 languages. They really help share ideas in communities around the world.

    We believe in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and eventually, the world. So we' re building here a clearinghouse (信息交流中心 ) that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other. Have an idea? We want to hear from you.

    Today, TED is best thought of as a global community. It's a community welcoming people from every field and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.

    Want to follow TED? Here are the ways to connect:

    Get TED news and conference coverage ( 新闻报道) on the TED Blog.

    Follow TED on Twitter:

    @TED News for all TED news and information

    @TED Talks for daily TED Talk release only

    See photos from TED events on Flicker.

    It had been a long winter. Bitter cold, snowy days had hit us again and again. On the warmer days there had been little sunshine, but only cold, icy rain. The sun had become such a rare sight that I had to look at a picture of it on my wall calendar from time to time to remember what it looked like. The grass had remained brown and dormant（潜伏的）in the grassland. My own backyard had turned into a muddy mess that tried to steal the shoes right off my feet as I walked on it. My heart ached and longed for spring, and my own good cheer had trouble rising up against the continuous, cold, gray days.

    The rain poured down on me as I walked my dogs, holding their leashes in my icy fingers. I looked up at the sky hoping to see the sun smiling down with its warm, golden face. But it was no use. It was then, however, that I saw it. It wasn't the smiling face of the sun in the sky but a little, yellow face peeking（微露出） through the mud. It was a tiny flower, and it filled my heart with hope and joy. I smiled and thanked God for this little sign that winter would soon be over and that spring would arrive. I felt my good cheer rising up at last and I promised God that I would share it with everyone I could.

    One day that tiny flower's seeds will fill the grassland with little, yellow faces smiling up from the ground. Its work will make this world a better and more beautiful place. May we all do the same. May we all shine our light and share our love even on the coldest and grayest days. May we all help to share a bit of spring in winter. May we all work to make this world better and brighter even when it is at its darkest.

    It is commonly believed that in medieval France, New Year was celebrated on 1 April. Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, changing New Year to 1 January. With no modern communications, news travelled slowly and new ideas were often questioned. Many people did not hear of the change, some merely forgot, and others chose to ignore it. These people were called fools. Invitations to non-existent "New Year" parties were sent and other practical jokes were played. Over time playing tricks on 1 April became a tradition. The custom eventually spread to England and Scotland, and it was later transported across the Atlantic to the American colonies (殖民地) of the English and the French. April Fools' Day has now developed into an international festival of fun, with different nationalities celebrating the day in special ways.

    France and Italy

    In France and Italy, if someone plays a trick on you, you are the "fish of April". By the month of April fish have only just hatched and are therefore easy to catch. Children stick paper fish to their Friends' backs and chocolate fish are found in the shops.

    America and Britain

    Today, Americans and the British play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on 1 April. A common trick is to point to a friend's shoe and say "Your shoelace (鞋带) is untied." When they look down, they are laughed at. Schoolchildren might tell a friend that school has been cancelled. Sometimes the media get involved. Once, a British short film was shown on April Fools' Day about spaghetti farmers and how they harvest their crop from spaghetti trees!

    Scotland

    In Scotland, April Fools' Day lasts for two days! The second day is called "Taily Day" and tricks on this day involve the bottom (or the "tail", in informal speech). Often a sign saying ‘kick me' is stuck onto someone's back without them knowing.

    The 2019 Beijing Horticultural Expo, the largest of its kind, has chosen the theme "Live Green, Live Better". The expo, opened on April 29 in Yanqing District of Beijing, is scheduled to last for 162 days until October 7.

    Tickets available

    *Standard day ticket

    *Designated day ticket

    *Discounted ticket

    *Group ticket

    Designated days

    *Labor Day holiday (May 1-4)

    *Dragon Boat Festival holiday (June 7-9)

    *Mid-Autumn Festival holiday (Sept 13-15)

    *National Day holiday (Oct 1-7)

    Tickets prices

    *Standard day ticket: 120 yuan

    *Ordinary designated day ticket: 160 yuan

    *Discounted standard day ticket: 80 yuan

    *Discounted designated day ticket: 120 yuan

    Tickets are free for children under the age of six or shorter than 130 centimeters. Discounted tickets are available for those with disabilities, seniors (people aged at 60 or above), children, students and PLA soldiers.

    Where to buy

    Visitors can buy or book tickets from two online agents, seven travel agencies, or three event channels—the event WeChat account, the event app or Onsite ticket kiosks.

Opening hours

Requirements

    Buying tickets for Expo 2019 Beijing requires real-name registration, and all visitors are required to input information from their ID cards (or valid passports, mainland travel permits for Hong Kong and Macao residents, and mainland travel permits for Taiwan residents) to buy or book tickets online.